Munich, the capital of Bavaria, is a great place to visit for soccer + rock’n roll fans like myself.
Halloween 2016 at the Hard Rock Cafe Munich – the first HR cafe sign I see without a guitar. Located a 5-minute walk from the Marienplatz subway station.Funny sign on the way to HR Cafe: Private Property – musicians prohibited, day and night.Cozy interior and friendly service.The first time I see a PF piece in a Hard Rock cafe.A rock temple in Munich, visited by countless rock gods throughout the history: Olympia Halle. Located in the Olympic Park, easily accessible via subway, a 20-minute or so ride from Marienplatz.
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An easy transition from Rock’n Roll to soccer: a few yards away from Olympia Halle is the Olympic Stadium, former home of Bayern Munich. Apparently one can enter the grounds without paying a ticket for an official tour. This North-West view is from the Olympic Tower, where you can get in for 7 Euros.Looking North-East from the tower, one can locate the new home of Bayern Munich: Allianz Arena, the UFO-like white spot in the top-left of this picture. Let’s go there – it’s accessible with the subway line.Expect a 10 minute walk from the subway to the Allianz Arena.I went there on a Wednesday morning: tours available (in English as well) between 10 AM and 2 PM. Entrance is 19 Euro.The guided stadium tour is a little short than 1 hour. According to our guide, the season tickets are sold out. And they are 70,000!At the end of the guided arena tour, the same ticket will get you in the Bayern Munich museum. This is the (quite humble, for the legendary decisions made there) board room from their old arena, recreated inside the museum.A reminder of the sustained power of Bayern Munich: the trophies collected in the exceptional year 2013, including the Champions League (second from left).Allianz Arena is the property of Bayern Munich, but second division club TSV 1860 calls it home as well. Their colors are white-blue, Bavaria’s national colors. Here is a fan shop in the central area of Marienplatz. It is probably easier to get a ticket to a TSV game than Bayern, if you want that experience while in Munich. Another idea is to attend a game in Augsburg, the closest Bundesliga city to Munich.
George Motoc 